Tuesday, August 31, 2004

March on the RNCOn Sunday, August 29th, I joined 400,000 other spokespersons for peace and justice in a march against the Bush agenda. It was a beautiful experience and an essential action to take in order to get Bush out of office.

It saddens me that so many Democrats have not learned the lessons of the past. As soon as the pro-Republican media picked up the mantra that protests would be "like 1968," liberal pundits began to panic. It amazes me that Republicans can steal elections, tell lies to occupy foreign nations, and take away hard earned overtime pay, only to be applauded by the chattering classes. Democrats on the other hand, won't defend citizens who exercise their right to speak and assemble freely.

I knew all along that the march wouldn't be like 1968 for a very simple reason. It isn't 1968. There is no Black Panther Party, no Weather Underground, and no SDS. 1968 was nearly 40 years ago and the politics of that time are quite literally history.

It is also untrue that the protests hurt Kerry. Why do liberal pundits not understand that the sight of 400,000 Americans protesting an incumbent president helps get that president out of office? On August 27th the New York Times told the story of a young Texan, John Alan Gibson, who rented a van and set off with a group of people he didn't know in order to protest in New York. Gibson didn't know where he was going to stay or more importantly in New York, where to park his car. Did Democrat pundits applaud him? No they didn't. They told him to stay home.

This lack of conviction is going to sink the Democratic party. The media is against us and the Republicans take no prisoners. I know that the DNC is trying to disassociate itself from even peaceful protesters. I hope McAuliffe and the other grand potentates of the party know that it helps Kerry when people drive more than 1,800 miles from their homes to speak out against Bush.

Take a look at some of the anarchists in this photo slideshow from Newsday. You can see the people who put fear in the hearts of Democratic wimps and ivory tower intellectuals. They look like a cross section of America to me, but what do I know. I'm not afraid to be a Democrat.

Margaret Kimberley

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margaretkimberley at gmail dot com

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